In the eyes of a model kit, all modelers are equal.

February 2011

02/27/2011

This morning, while surfing my usual haunts on the Interwebs, I came across a post that announced the passing of Robert Reder, founder of Monogram Models. My modeling career may have started with a Revell kit, but it most certainly was honed on Monogram's products. From the Snap-Tite kit of the L'il Red Baron, to the actual Red Baron show car, and through their line of 1/48 scale World War Two aircraft kits, Monogram Models kept me occupied for many an hour as a youngster.

Another recent passing that I've learned of is that of George Toteff, long time employee of Aluminum Model Toys (you know them as AMT) and later as the founder of Model Products Corporation (MPC). One of George's lasting contributions to the hobby is slide molding, since a car body could be molded in one piece. Before that, bodies were multiple pieces that had to be assembled--fine for kits, but for promotionals, not so much.

And, while not confirmed per se, another thread has announced that Accurate Miniatures is again gone. When the first iteration of AM hit the scene, their new kits of previously kitted subjects (SBD Dauntless, TBF/M Avenger, early B-25 Mitchell, all in 1/48 scale) were head and shoulders above the previous kits of those subjects, and they also introduced new kits of others (Allison-engined P-51's in 1/48 scale, McLaren M8B, and Grand Sport Corvettes in 1/25 scale). While there were issues--mainly releases of kits many months or years after they were initially announced--the kits were then and continue to be quite good. The original company, according to the Wikipedia article, ran into some trouble and became insolvent. The company was bought and while high hopes spread, the simple fact is that nothing truly new was produced. They released the SB2U Vindicators that the original firm had done the tooling for, and they also released some Monogram kits (1/72 scale P6E, P-51, P-40, and F-4C and F-4J; 1/48 SB2C Helldiver), none of the new owner's announced new tool kits--or even modifications of the existing kits--came to fruition. What a shame...although someone will probably pick up the pieces and start again.

Thanks for reading. Save a thought for the Reder and Toteff families and the employees of Accurate Miniatures, be good to one another, and as always, I bid you Peace.

02/25/2011

I've tried to compose this post several times, and every time I'd get further and further off on tangents. Let's see if I can keep it 'tween the ditches this time...

I've reached an age where, when I hear any particular song from my past on the radio, I'm immediately reminded of when I was younger and heard the same song. Yesterday's instance was Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat"--the radio station we listen to at work played it in the morning, and I was reminded of 1976/1977 all over again. The funny thing with me is that not only will I remember a particular time, I usually remember which model I was building at the time. For instance, there was one summer where I had the Styx albums "Grand Illusion" and "Pieces of Eight" in heavy rotation on the old 8-Track (Yes, I had an 8-Track as a kid, and I kept the format until long past when most people had abandoned it. In fact, the stereo up in our workshop still has an 8-Track player!) , and that same summer was when I built Monogram's 1/48 scale B-24J kit. Styx also accompanied a near-all night build of Monogram's 1/48 scale Me-262. Ted Nugent's "Dog Eat Dog" and "Double Live Gonzo" were the soundtracks to several builds, and Jethro Tull was an almost constant companion through many models.

When I was young, I didn't really appreciate music. I don't know why, but that changed when I was in Third or Fourth grade. The music teacher at my school had a way of making me listen to what I was hearing, rather than just letting the various notes rattle around in my coconut a few times before going out the other ear. I even took some piano lessons, learned to play recorder in Fifth grade, and we also had a piano lab in Middle school that I enjoyed. But, save for those few experiences on the performing side, my interest since then has simply been as a consumer--although there have been times I wished I had learned how to play an instrument. And, of course, I wouldn't want to take piano lessons, or guitar lessons--nope, I'd want to learn something eclectic and out in left field, perhaps the mandolin...

Speaking of eclectic, my tastes in music are certainly that. Over the years, I've been a fan of many artists and many genres of music. The aforementioned artists (Styx, The Nuge, and Tull) were the tip of the iceberg. The funny thing is that I wasn't really a big follower of some of the artists that I listen to these days--they were then simply background sounds that accompanied a favorite activity. My main interest in music then--as now--was Jethro Tull, and I can't put a definitive answer as to "why". Between the lyrics, the theme, and the fact that you can listen to early Tull and hear jazz/blues based music, while later iterations are flavored by folk, electronic, and the exotic, well, you can get anything you want. I also went through my Black Sabbath/Ozzy and Hendrix phases...and still listen to some of their off-the beaten-path stuff, too. Then, to be really eclectic, there's always that 8-Track of the "Moving Waves" album by Focus. Want some fun? Put on "Hocus Pocus", and if that doesn't mellow you out, nothing--not even the strongest of pharmaceuticals or alcoholic beverages--will.

Today, though, listening to either the "Oldies" channel or the "we play music from the '70's. '80's, and today" (still don't have an XM radio--remember, I held on to 8-Track tapes into the early 1980's), I hear a lot of songs I heard as a kid, which brings me back to Al Stewart, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, America, Bread...never really a fan when I was younger, but I've come to appreciate the work as I've *ahem* matured. You can only listen to AC/DC for so long before you start to think that while they're still good, there has to be something better. Unfortunately, today's music--a good deal of it, at least--is the Shop-Vac of s-u-c-k. Sure, every era has some clunkers, but the modern trend towards people who are famous for being famous, drunk, or out of control means that I have little tolerance for it. Exceptions include Kelly Clarkson (that girl has a set of pipes that won't quit), Katy Perry (she's got a sense of humor, and a lot of her music would have been right at home during the New Wave), Sara Bareilles, and, as corny as it sounds, Michael Bublé. That leaves acts of years gone by, many of which are still performing, still recording, albeit to smaller audiences.

02/22/2011

I've been putting something together in my head for a few days now--namely, a review of a kit that doesn't seem to have been reviewed anywhere else. I'm usually hesitant to do reviews--what might be okay to me isn't to you, and what you find acceptable is glaringly bad to me. Also, I've already told you that unless I see something badly out of whack on a model when compared to a photo of the 1:1, I won't lose sleep over it. Others, though, can't live unless every panel line and rivet is an exact 1/72 scale copy of the original. All I am really looking for in a review is what the kit has, what it doesn't have, and what I need to do to fix it. I'll decide from there.

Anyway, here goes:

I picked up a copy of the Kinetic 1/72 F-16I "Sufa" (Kit 72001) recently. We'll cover The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly...

The Good: It is a 1/72 Sufa, complete with a selection of ordnance for the low, low price of about $30 US Dollars--and if you shop around, you can find it cheaper. Previous rumblings on the Interwebs about their 1/48 scale F-16's indicated that the nose drooped excessively, but the 1/72 scale kit didn't seem to have this problem when I compared it to a built-up Hasegawa Barak.

The Bad: It is based heavily on Hasegawa's decades-old F-16 kit. The cockpit, like Hasegawa's kits, is rather basic with the same anemic ACES II seats. Also, Kinetic must not have realized that the Sufa was based on the Block 52 airframe and repeated what most of the other kit manufacturers have done in the past by not including the heavyweight landing gear--the Block 40/42 and Block 50/52 airframes all have this. Some of the detail is also on the soft side, including some of the characteristic lumps and bumps that make it a Sufa.

The Ugly: I think I know where the Matchbox trench digger is now. The panel lines aren't quite as wide and deep as Matchbox's kits used to have, but again, for a kit tooled in 2010 they should be sharper and more petite. Actually, the same goes for the rest of the detailing, a lot of which is on the soft side. The static dischargers look like tree branches. There were also a few ejection towers inside the parts that need to be trimmed away.

Bottom line: Yeah, it's a Sufa, but it will take some of that modeling work to bring it up to snuff. Hasegawa also has a 1/72 Sufa kit, bit it too is based on their long-in-the-tooth F-16 molds. At $40 MSRP, you'll still have to pony up more cash for the Skunk Works Models IDF Weapons sets.

For me, I can deal with the soft detail--yeah, for $30 I shouldn't have to, but I knew going in that it was a Kinetic kit and the "Some Modeling Experience Helpful" label appeared in my head. The fact that it includes ordnance for $10 less that Hasegawa's kit goes a long way with me--I can do an awful lot of detailing and panel line filling for that $10 (plus whatever you have to shell out for the additional ordnance kit). The lack of the heavyweight landing gear is, to me, inexcusable--the Block 40 airframes have been out for some time now, so it isn't as if Lockheed Martin just decided to retrofit the fleet yesterday. You can't really fake it, either, as there is the attendant bulge that goes along with the gear. Hasegawa, in the past, has thrown in some struts, wheels, and bulged doors but in reality the bulge continues onto the fuselage. That's where this kit really falls down--lack of research and originality. Again, will the cost differential tilt your decision? A bit of epoxy putty should fix the bulge issue, but nobody has yet given the 1/72 scale modeler the proper heavyweight gear parts...

Someone mentioned that they hoped Revell AG would do the Sufa trick with their two-holer F-16 kit, but that kit represents a Bravo model. They'd have to do a Delta model, then add the spine, lumps, bumps, and CFT's before they could get a Sufa. And Revell, add the heavyweight gear when you do...

Until someone tools up an up-to-date 1/72 F-16 series (Tamiya? They got the one-holers from Block 25-up covered in 1/48 scale, and the way those kits are broken down should make the station wagon an easy jump--then all they'd need to do is put it in the same shrinking machine they've used on their 1/48 P-51's, Corsairs, and a few of their other kits), we're left to choose between Kinetic and Hasegawa. And I'll probably get the Hasegawa kit at some point to compare and contrast with Kinetic's kit...either should make a nice companion to my Hasegawa Barak.

02/18/2011

Ten years. That's how long it has been since NASCAR lost a legend on the final turn of the final lap of the sport's premier event, the Daytona 500. Looking back, at times it seems like yesterday; other times it seems like a lifetime ago...

NASCAR is like the FAA--they are accused of changing the rules "in the name of safety" only after people get killed (critics of the FAA call it "Tombstone Legislation"). How many NASCAR drivers had died on the track? There was "Little Joe" Weatherly, killed at Riverside when his head struck the retaining wall. There was Bobby Myers (father of long-time Earnhardt gas man Danny "Chocolate" Myers"), who died at Darlington when his car flipped. Billy Wade got killed during a tire test, when his car kit the wall head-on and he slid beneath the lap belts, crushing major organs. Then there is probably the most well known, Glenn "Fireball" Roberts, who died as a result of burns suffered when his car backed into the wall, ruptured the fuel tank, and burst into flame at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Safety innovations sprung from each of these wrecks--window nets, 5-point harnesses, and rupture resistant fuel cells.

In the 12 months prior to Dale Earnhardt's fatal accident at Daytona, three other Winston Cup drivers had died: Adam Petty, son of Kyle, grandson of Richard (The King), and great-grandson of Lee had died in an accident at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, after his accelerator reportedly stuck wide open. Kenny Irwin, Jr, another up-and-coming driver who came from the ranks of the dirt track circuits, died at the same speedway mere weeks after Adam died--and the same cause was suspected. Later that year, Tony Roper died at a Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. The common denominator in the mechanics of their deaths was a phenomenon known as basal skull fracture.

But those guys were all rookies. They must have made a mistake that led to their accidents--Roper was killed when he swerved to try and evade another truck. Petty and Irwin had stuck throttles. So, the reasoning went, we have a case of a Rookie driver making a Rookie mistake and two cases of mechanical failure. Put a kill switch on the car, throw a restrictor plate on the engines when racing at New Hampshire, and all will be well, NASCAR said.

Dale Earnhardt's accident didn't look bad--in fact, earlier that same day the proverbial "Big One" occurred and it appeared that someone was certainly killed when Robby Gordon and Ward Burton got into each other. The memorable thing about that was watching Tony Stewart's #20 Home Depot Pontiac flip down the backstretch, winding up on his teammate Bobby Labonte's hood. No, Dale had walked away from far worse wrecks. There was the time he wound up with the car on it's roof, then getting T-Boned. There was the wreck he had with Ernie Irvan (ironically, a survivor of a basal skull fracture suffered at Michigan International Speedway in 1994), where he hit the wall nearly head-on. No, this was a minor fender bender, and surely Dale would hop out of the car, clear the cobwebs, and start goofing around with Kenny Schrader, whose car had also been caught up in the wreck.

Not this time. Kenny climbed out of his car. He walked over the the black #3 Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. He dropped the window net. He recoiled away from the car as if there were snakes inside, and started to gesture for the rescue crew to hurry up. As they worked, the TV coverage was divided between Victory Lane, where Michael Waltrip, previously 0-for-462, had won the race--his first race driving for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.

Meanwhile, back at Turn 4, the ambulance bypassed the stop at the Infield Car Center and worked its way to Halifax Medical Center. A blue tarp--later to be synonymous with FEMA-supplied temporary roofs--was draped over the black #3. The tow truck winched the car onto the rollback and slowly headed to the garage area.

In Victory Lane, the media frenzy was still going on--"Mike, what's it like to finally win?" The party wouldn't last. On a day where the underdog finally won, his celebration would be cut short.

Later investigation would point out many things--perhaps the seat harness wasn't installed correctly. No, it was fine. But wait, the lap belt was cut. No, the rescue crew did that. Maybe not. He hit the steering wheel. He hit the windshield. The final verdict? Basal Skull Fracture had killed Dale Earnhardt.

The fallout was immediate and far-reaching. Fellow driver Sterling Marlin was getting death threats, since it was his car that tapped the back bumper of the Goodwrench machine, sending the black car towards the wall. It wasn't until Earnhardt's son Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip publicly made statements to the fact that Sterling wasn't to blame that the threats stopped. Bill Simpson, the man behind Simpson Performance Products, resigned when NASCAR alleged that the seatbelt had failed and he too began receiving death threats. NASCAR mandated the use of full face helmets and one of two head restraint systems--the HANS Device or the Hutchens Device--that would restrain the driver's head from snapping forward violently in the event of a crash (eventually, the series would settle on the HANS Device). Another safety feature was to be retrofitted to all NASCAR-approved tracks--the SAFER (Steel And Foam Energy Reduction) Barrier, a foam and steel energy-absorbing layer was installed on the corners of the tracks.

Some of these mandates came a little late. Later that year, Steve Park (another of Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated's drivers) was competing at Darlington in a Busch Series race when the steering wheel came off during a caution period. The car veered to the left, and another car T-Boned Park. The same scene slowly played out--the extended caution, the rescue workers removing the car's roof, the blue tarp...it was somewhat surreal. Park suffered a severe closed head injury and to many experts has never recovered from those injuries. He was not wearing either a HANS or Hutchens device.

These days, when you see a driver hit the wall--hard--you can be certain that Dale Earnhardt saved their life. Ask Elliot Sadler. Or Carl Edwards. Or any number of drivers who would not be here were it not for the fact that NASCAR finally mandated new safety devices only after their icon had been killed. Despite the fact that these innovations were available long before the accident that claimed Earnhardt (Smokey Yunick had come up with an early version of so-called "soft walls" in the 1970's, and F1, the NHRA, and the Indy Racing League had encouraged use of the HANS Device since the mid-1990's), it took four dead drivers to finally convince the powers-that-be that it was time for NASCAR to get serious about driver safety--again.

Remember that when you watch this weekend's coverage of "The Great American Race". Let us all hope it is a safe race.

02/16/2011

I remember my first model. My father bought home a Revell 1/32 scale F4F Wildcat kit. He had built models as a kid--he contracted Rheumatic Fever as was pretty much bedridden for a year. As a diversion, he built balsa wood models. He wanted me to enjoy the hobby, too, I guess, so he bought the Wildcat. He and I read the instruction sheet a few times, and he explained to me that in order to build the model correctly, I had to follow the directions in order. We started to build the model--he had bought some paints, too (if memory serves, one of the Testor's PLA Enamel sets), so we painted the cockpit parts in colors close to what the instructions called out. What's Chromate Green? Well, we had a green color, so that worked. The first night, we painted the parts, then set everything aside to dry overnight. Actually, I think we put the kit and supplies on top of the refrigerator...

We would build a little bit each night. With each step completed, I could see an airplane start to emerge from that bunch of plastic parts. Some steps I could do myself; others I would get Dad to help me with. After about a week--I'm not quite sure, as I was young at the time--we had a nearly finishe model. We couldn't find the hole in the wing where the pitot tube was supposed to go, so Dad took the tip of the hobby knife and made one. When everything was glued together, we set the model aside, again, to dry.

The next night was paint night. I helped paint the model to match the pictures on the box. Dad explained to me that it was better to apply a thin coat of paint, let it dry, then apply another coat. Above all, he said, we needed to let it dry overnight...

The following evening we applied the decals, and "my" first model was finished. The model was placed on the bookshelf for all to see and admire. To this day, though, I don't remember what became of the model--we moved not too long after, so I suppose it must have been damaged in the move. No matter, it wouldn't be my last model...

There's something refreshing about that story--I built a model, spent time with my Dad, and wasn't worried if the final product wasn't perfect. Later, as we got older, Dad helped my brother and I each purchase a Guillow's balsa wood kit (I think I got the Cessna 170 and my brother got the Piper Cherokee) and he assisted us in building--well, almost building--them. He would remind us that the balsa wood kits were his kind of modeling, and that we had it easy with those plastic kits to which I, for one, had become addicted. I don't think either of those Guillow's kits got built, but he'd go on about the plastic kits we'd build, telling us that if we were real model builders we'd tackle a wood kit--yet to anyone who would listen, we were the family's artistes-in-waiting.

Later on, I would buy and build Guillow's 3/4" scale Spitfire (it didn't fly, I built it as a static model), and my brother built a Dumas boat kit, which was waiting for a motor and radio control gear when he discovered BMX and Daisy's contribution to settling the Old West.

Dad's gone now. I don't think my brother has touched a plastic model kit since about ten years ago when we (my brother, my wife, my nephew, and I) got together and built (what else?) Snap-Tite kits. My nephew was seven or eight at the time, and I don't think he's taken up the hobby (habit?)--he's been exposed to it, so he knows what it is about. Each of us has seen and participated in the hobby, even of that time was brief.

We will always have those memories of how we were each introduced to the hobby.

02/14/2011

After last night's post, my mind wandered back to the way I built models in the 1980's. I had, by then, developed my skills to the point where I was getting pretty consistent results regardless of the kit I built. Of course, back then I didn't worry too much about the one thing that seems to be the #1, most important thing to a modeler these days:

Is it accurate?

Mr. Webster, a little help?

accurate (adj \ˈa-kyə-rət, ˈa-k(ə-)rət\): 1: free from error especially as the result of care <an accurate diagnosis>; 2: conforming exactly to truth or to a standard : exact <providing accurate color>; 3: able to give an accurate result <an accurate gauge>

— ac·cu·rate·ly \ˈa-kyə-rət-lē, ˈa-k(ə-)rət-, ˈa-k(y)ərt-\ adverb

— ac·cu·rate·ness \-kyə-rət-nəs, -k(ə-)rət-nəs\ noun

I also find it interesting that the online version of Websters gives this example: "The model is accurate down to the tiniest details."

We'll take the second definition, since it seems to be closest to what we think about when we think accurate. Are there any 100%, "conforming exactly to truth [or a 1:1 scale protoype?--me] or to a standard" model kits out there? Yes? No? And remember, I'm talking kits here, not models. Models are what happens when you build a kit...

I'd wager no. Sure, there are some kits that are pretty darn close. But 100%? In order to be 100% accurate, a kit would have to be derived from a 1:1 article that was put into Rick Moranis' "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" machine. A truly accurate kit would be extremely fragile, and would probably not compare well when viewed alongside the prototype. Subtle shape changes would be lost in the reduced version. For the sake of discussion, let's say that the shrunken version may be an exact reduced size reproduction of the original, but in the process a lot gets lost in translation.

So, let's put that item into the Re-Big-U-Lator and move on.

Unless a model manufacturer making a 1/32 scale kit, for example, decides that he wants to make each part exactly 1/32 the size of the original in length, width, thickness, gauge, etc., there can be no 100% accurate kits--the kits would be so fragile you'd never get them built. Unless the manufacturer wants to go to the point of including all of the internal doo-dads of the prototype, there can be no 100% accurate kits. The parts need to have a draft angle incorporated so they'll pop out of the molds--making the kit not quite 100% faithful to the original. Again, kits, not models.

So, what are we debating here? Simply this--there are many kits that are faithful in shape to the originals. There are many kits that are close, and there are many kits where you want to find the guy who did the master and ask him just what brand of crack was he smoking when he came up with a master that makes a mold that translates into a waste of innocent styrene. It is what we, the modelers, do with those kits that determines how accurate the model will be.

I'm no superdetailer. Sure, I can add details to a kit--scratchbuilt cockpits, rescribed panel lines, new landing gear--but I don't go bolt for bolt, rivet for rivet when I do so. I admire those modelers who do want to replicate every nut, bolt, rivet, wire harness, oil line, and the like. But to me, I look at a kit and assess it on the following criteria: Does it look like what it is supposed to be? Is the basic shape correct? Are the relationships between the constituent parts correct, i.e., is the wing where it should be? Are the proportions in harmony? I'll study photos, and I'll consult references. But in the end, the aesthetics of the kit is most important to me. I can take a basic shape and add the details until the moo-cows come home...

A lot of people will drag out their "scale drawings" when a new kit comes out, compare the model to the drawings, and make a proclamation. Problem is, the scale drawings aren't always accurate, either. "But the drawings I have a are official blueprints of the actual airplane", you say. I ask what you paid for them, and then tell you that someone ripped you off. Airplanes, for instance, usually don't have a "blueprint", the closest thing you're likely to get is what they call a "General Arrangement" diagram. If you dig through the maintenance manual, you might find some things that will get you close--Station, Waterline, and Buttock Line diagrams, for starters--but even they are an approximation. The only drawing that reflects the actual shape of any partof the airplane are the engineering drawings for that particular part. So, in order to have a set of "factory blueprints" you're going to need a bigger house. There are thousands of parts on an airplane, each one with an official engineering document that tells you not only the shape of the part, but which materials and processes are used to make it. You'd have to take those drawings and derive your own set of "accurate drawings".

Another way to get "accurate drawings" would be to extensively measure the original. Easier said than done, but it can (and has) been done--Charles Neely's P-51 drawings, for example, have been heralded as the best drawings of the mustang in existence. You'll need all sorts of measuring equipment, but it can be done. In truth, a good many models were done exactly in this manner, and the care taken while measuring is reflected in the final kit. Those subjects that were measured carefully yield great kits. Those subjects that were measured with a length of rope and a yardstick don't. Simple, yes?

Me? I'll take a couple of decent photos and do a visual comparison. If I can't see a huge discrepancy between the photos of the prototype and the kit, I don't squawk. If details are missing, so what? I can add them easily enough. What I don't want to have to do it recontour a fuselage or scratchbuild a wing to make the model approximate the shapes I see in the photos. To me, that's too much risk for too little reward. And I'll still admire the modelers who can take a good, basic kit and make it into a model that comes close to being a 100% accurate model.

02/13/2011

Well, I finally was able to eke out a few minutes--let's see if I can put something coherent together...

I was reading one of the online modeling forums today, and after reading and responding to some questions of a "How do I..." nature, I was reminded yet again that this generation of modelers doesn't remember when you didn't have answers to your questions immediately. Now, don't get me wrong, the Internet is a wonderful thing, and I only wish that I had something like this when I was coming up. But the flip side of that coin is that today's modelers can't know how it feels to try something that works after several tries.

When I first started modeling, I had nothing to guide me except what my father told me and what I as able to figure out on my own or with the help of the other neighborhood kids. I managed to do a creditable job in spite of myself. Then, we were enrolled in the Young Model Builder's club, where I learned a bit more. When I finally discovered Challenge Publications Scale Modeler magazine in 1978, I realized I didn't know what I didn't know. Through reading that magazine, I started to develop better skills and build better models. Granted, there was still a lot of trial and error going on...

In 1980 or thereabouts, Kalmbach Publications did two things--publish Sheperd Paine's first book, "How to Build Dioramas" (I had already collected all of the aircraft diorama brochures he did for Monogram Models) and began quarterly publication of FineScale Modeler magazine, which stood head and shoulders above the other magazines available in the States. There was still a lot of cut-and-try going on, but here were two guides telling me how to best do something.

Then, came my association with IPMS/USA and their Flight 19 Chapter in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Some of my fondest modeling moments came while I was associated with that club, and I met some of my best friends while a member. Believe me, friends, if you think modeling is a lone-wolf type of activity, get out to the local club meeting. I speak from experience, as there was a ten year gap from the time I left Florida (and the club) until I started attending the IPMS/Mid-Carolina Swamp Fox club meetings up here--I forgot just how much I missed the monthly gatherings to talk plastic. If you think you're a good modeler now, the club will help you become a better modeler, and that goes for everyone from the babe-in-the-woods noob to the guy who has a display case full of beautiful models and trophies to his credit. And don't limit yourself to IPMS clubs, either--there are car clubs, ship clubs, and armor clubs (AMPS, and in my case the Central South Carolina Wildcats Chapter) that are every bit as good as IPMS. Think of IPMS as an MD who is the local family doctor, and the others as the specialists.

I guess the Internet has become to this generation what Paine and FineScale Modeler was to me--a guide through the darkness. What today's modelers might not understand is that while you can now ask a question and get a dozen equally correct answers within minutes rather than months, weeks, or hours, the results still come through experimentation. That takes time. And who says you have to rush a model?

02/10/2011

A few days ago, we started to sight-see in the Daytona Beach area. Let's resume our trip, shall we?

We just passed the Holiday Inn [Now long-gone, torn down to make way for the Adam's Mark]. We're getting to the North end of the Strip, which for the longest while was the Strip. Concentrated around the Seabreeze/A1A corner you'll find a lot of watering holes and clubs. Right there, on the right in the Whitehall Hotel is 600North, and soon to be the Daytona Beach leg of Chuck Penrod's empire (Penrod's On The Beach at the Yankee Trader and the location in Miami being the other two). [I don't believe that 600North is still open as such, and I'm almost certain that it is no longer a Penrod's property]. And, across the street on Seabreeze you'll find a few favorites, including The Oyster Pub. Good food+cheap beer=a lot of traffic! [The Oyster Pub still exists, but is now a few blocks inland.] As we turn left onto Seabreeze, a block or so in on the right is Saporro, a very nice and relatively inexpensive Japanese Hibachi steakhouse. And, across the street is another icon, The Silver Bucket--the name says it all, their claim to fame is buckets of oysters and beer. [The Bucket went out of business in the late 1980's and the building no longer exists.]

[If you take a side trip further north on A1A, you'll wind up in Ormond Beach--off on the left is a small club called the Other Place. The OP was fun--for me, a die-hard Tull fan--because they had a Jethro Tull cover band that was quite good.]

As we head once again to the mainland, let's hang a right on Beach Street. See that sign off to the right, the one with the International logo that says "Smokey's Best Damn Garage in Town"? That, my friends is Henry "Smokey" Yunick's garage, a place that you wish could talk. I can only imagine what went on at that place when Smokey was still building Hudson Hornet, Pontiac, Ford, and Chevy Stock Cars during the 1950's and 1960's. The man is pretty much a self-taught mechanical genius, one who isn't afraid to push the rules to get an edge on the track. He's not doing any racing these days, but he's still there working on one of his many projects, including the adiabatic engine. [Smokey died in 2002. At his request, the contents of the garage were auctioned off to people who would use the equipment--he didn't want the place to turn into a museum and create a burden for his family. By 2008, the place was gone, the land sold and the old garage torn down. It was replaced with a high-rise, and even Smokey admitted that he had prime real estate in Daytona, right on the Halifax River.]

(I'll tell you more about Smokey sometime later--if you want to cheat and read ahead, try to beg, borrow, steal, or buy a copy of his 3-Volume memoir--do a Google search for Carbon Press or Smokey Yunick. The man led an interesting life, and I wish I could have met him. Back then, I knew who he was and what he had done, but to actually meet and talk to the man? Nope, couldn't do that...)

Now that we're on the mainland, Seabreeze has turned into Mason Avenue. The next big intersection is Ridgewood Avenue (remember Ridgewood?). We're going to flip a U-turn and head south on Beach Street. It follows the river, and soon we come to Volusia Avenue. Just past Volusia on Beach is an interesting place--Dunn Brothers Hardware. It is a well-stocked hardware store, if they don't have it, you probably don't need it. The secret, though, is upstairs. See, that's where Dunn Hardware becomes Dunn Brothers Toy and Hobby. For what appears to be an afterthought, they are quite well stocked upstairs, too. They have a great selection of model kits and tools, as well as a huge selection of paints other than Testor's square bottles. I visit as often as I am able. [The two stores split in the early 1990's--Dunn Hardware stayed in the existing location, Dunn Toy and Hobby moved next door. You can read about it here.]

Okay, let's get back on Volusia and head west, then make the right onto Ridgewood. You still with me? Okay, look to the right and you'll see the WESH offices--WESH is the area's NBC facility, they broadcast on Channel 2. We'll cruise on down to Mason Avenue and hang a left--check ot the southwest corner before we do. That's the Cook-Out, Daytona's answer to Char-Hut. [The Cook-Out was looking pretty ratty at one point, and may be closed by now.]

On Mason, off on the right, there's Big John's Car Repair and Muffler shop. Up about a block on the left, there's China Garden. Want lunch? China Garden is one of two Chinese buffets in Daytona, and the cheaper of the two. Claude, the waiter, seems to be there all the time. He greets you with his ususal Brooklyn/Bronx "How youse guys doin'? Youse want some soop? Watcha gonna eat, da buffet?" The food is pretty good as buffets go, and there's plenty of it. Every now and then, this little Chinese face pokes out of the passthrough window fromt he kitchen to the buffet, and once in a while the same Chinese chef will re-stock the food. We never did know his name. [A few years later, some friends goofing around made comments about "Ooh, rook, kitty cat. Ooh, maybe some poodre too!" The same little Chinese face appeared in the window and said (in I'm sure his best English), "No, no, no...no kitty cat on buffet today." One wonders what day the kitty cat *was* on the buffet. In any case, the place no longer exists--it caught fire sometime in the late 1980's, was rebuilt, and closed for good in the early 1990's. It later became some sort of Harley-themed joint, but I don't know if that even exists.]

In order to get the maximum effect, we're going to continue up Mason to Nova Road, and hang a left. Coming up on the left is Jon Hall Chevrolet--you can't miss his touristy licence plates around town. After a quick drive, we're back at Volusia Avenue again. There's the open-closed-open again Quincy's Steakhouse, and the Krispy Kreme Factory Showroom on the corner. [The Krispy Kreme is still there. and so is the building Quincy's occupied although I'm not sure if Quincy's is still occupying it.] As we swing back east on Volusia, on the left you'll see a rather nondescript building with a small sign that says "Central Auto Parts". If you go inside, be sure to chat with Wil--he knows cars. A friend of ours, smitten with all things MOPAR, is given the nickname "Hemi Head" by Wil. Wil's motto is that with enough money and a pocket knife, he can fix anything--and I believe it! [Central was, even then, becoming an anachronism--the big auto parts chains were moving in uickly. I don't know what happened to Central or Wil, but I'll bet if Wil's still kicking, he still fixing cars and wondering what happened to ol' Hemi Head.] Furthr up, be on the lookout for Jim Stephens Pontiac. Jim sponsored a few of Smokey's stock cars back in the day, and still does a brisk business selling cars. [Stephens became Gary Yeoman's in the mid- to late 1990's, then pretty much every car dealership in Daytona Beach moved west, to the Volusia Auto Mall off I-95 by LPGA Boulevard.] A bit further down is the Diner, right next to Buck's Gun Rack. Buck's is a cool place to visit--the proprietor likes to spin yarns and shoot the shit. [Later, the diner would become a Surplus store. Buck's is still there, no surprise.]

We're approaching Ridgewood yet again. Off to the left is Robeson's Harley Davidson, next to the Robeson's Christmas store. Neat places to visit--especially during Bike Week! [This was long before Harleys and Bike Week became popular with the upwardly mobile, and the place then was a bit on the unrefined side, let's say. At last visit, I don't believe that the Robeson family has anything to do with Harleys in Daytona, that business now in the hands of Bruce Rossmeyer.] A quick right onto Ridgewood, then down to Bellevue Road again. Right there on the corner is the Imperial Motor Lodge, aka The Roach Motel. The Lodge is a sort of unofficial overflow dorm for the various institutions of higher learning in Daytona. Bellevue winds through the neighborhoods, then pops out on Nova Road. A right, then you join (what else?) Volusia Avenue. Across the street is the other mall in Daytona Beach, the Daytona Mall. Where the Volusia Mall is like the slick glossy 8X10, the Daytona Mall is more a Polaroid. The big draws in the Daytona Mall are the Zayre's on the north side and the Montgomery Ward on the south end. Inside, there's a small museum of sorts. Touring it s free, although they ask for donations. Kind of quaint. A few doors down is the pilot supply store. You are greeted by the aroma of cured calfskin and cowhide. If you're a budding aviator or seasoned pilot and need something and Embry-Riddle's bookstore doesn't have it, you can most probably find it here. If neither has it, you most probably don't need it. And, around the corner, i the other Chinese buffet, the Peking Garden (did you ever notice that you seldom find a Chinese restaurant without at least one of the following words in the name: Panda, China, Fortune, or Garden). A bit more polished than the China Garden, the prices reflect this. The food is very good, and they're planning to start offering Mongolian Barbecue soon. [I never was able to find out, as the restaurant closed. The mall is largely dead now--the pilot shop moved south to a new plaza on Beville Road at Nova Road. The museum closed. Word has it that that pilot shop finally closed, too--I still have books that I purchased at the mall location, and every now and then I catch a whiff of leather jacket when I open them. The only thing that I think keeps the mall open is the Books-A-Million in the old Montgomery Ward location.]

A block or so up Volusia, on the right, is Daytona Beach Community College, known to most Embry-Riddle students as Daytona Beach County Club. A block further west, on the corner, is the big hospital for the city, Halifax Medical Center. [Both are still there. Halifax Medical Center got 15 minutes of fame twice--the first time when it served as a location for the awful NASCAR movie "Days of Thunder"; the second came 10 years ago when Dale Earnhardt was pronounced dead there.]

We'll continue west, past the Volusia Mall, the Speedway, the Jai-Alai fronton. On the right, just before the entrance ramp to I-95, is a Mobil station. They get a lot of business from me, as I tend to fill up there before heading out of town. {The Mobil is gone now, a victim of the expansion of U.S. 92.] Let's continue west--we'll pass a Days Inn on the west side of I-95, along with another Denny's. About five miles out, on the right, is the other Embry-Riddle apartment complex, known simply as AC1. While AC2 (Pine Lake) is a nice, orderly place to live, AC1 tends ot be the "party" dorm off campus. There are a few Campus Security (aka Riddle Five-0) persons stationed there full time to keep some semblance of law an order. [The Days Inn is still there--we stayed there in 2005 for the Rolex 24. The Denny's is also there--remember my previous comments on Denny's. I'm sure AC1 is still there but I doubt it is still an Embry-Riddle dorm. I could be wrong, I have been in the past...]

Flip a U-turn, and in a few minutes we're back where we started. Fun little trip, no? Well, it was for me...

02/08/2011

People often ask me what it is like to work on airplanes. Honestly, it is just like any other job--I get up in the morning, go to work, do what is asked of me, and go home. I try not to bring too much of the job home with me, just like (I'm assuming) many of you do.

There is a lot of responsibility that goes along with my job. That means added stress and added headaches. I'm not sure that people understand that. I have to get things right the first time--If a car mechanic goofs, you pull off to the side of the road, call a tow truck, then cuss the guy out. If I screw up, and the crew is good/lucky, they find someplace to land. That isn't always the case--more often than not, that airplane is going to crash in some field somewhere, and people will get hurt. That's always in my mind as I go about my business. If I see anything that looks out of place, I'll get a second set of eyes to look at the area. If it means we have to open up an area to further inspection, so be it. I've rarely had a customer get upset with me when I tell him that the airplane will be delayed, and when I do catch flak from a customer I remind them that I'm doing this for their safety.

Aviation is an unforgiving field--there are probably ten times more ex-aviation technicians as there are active aviation technicians. And that's probably a good thing, since I'd rather see someone who's mind isn't 110% dedicated to the job not be doing the job. The saying "long hours, low pay, and little chance for advancement" might as well been coined by an aviation professional. One respondent to a poll a few years back, when asked, "Would you recommend this profession to your child?" responded, "No, I'd rather he became a piano player in a whorehouse--the pay and hours are better and you get more respect." It isn't that bad, really, but there are other issues we all face--and some of them were self-inflicted by the industry itself. The stress will eat many people alive (ask me how I know this), and that goes double when you finally get to the top of the ladder and manage a shop. As I told one colleague, the higher you get on the ladder means that there are that many more people throwing rocks at you trying to knock you off. And, there are also that many more people trying to take that ladder and stuff it where the sun doesn't shine...

Customers, too, can create issues, especially when it comes time to turn loose of the cash. Aviation is the only industry I can think of where a vehicle is repaired to the tune of many thousands of dollars, and the owner can just hop in and fly away--"I'll mail you a check!" This, after he's beat up the maintainance facility over nickels and dimes. Try doing that the next time you get your car fixed and see what happens. Oh, and up until a few years ago, it cost less per hour to get an airplane worked on than it did a top-of-the-line luxury car...

The job has a bright side, though--especially when you've fixed a problem that nobody else has been able to. Hearing a pilot tell you that his autopilot hasn't flown like that in years, or his audio hasn't been that clear in a while, well, that's enough to make up for the stress. It isn't for everyone, but when aviation bites and holds on, you can't escape the force that pulls you in and keeps you there.

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We'll continue our journey through Daytona Beach next time. We still have lots of places to see...